Furious Daddy Fury
by Pansychic27213
Summary: SHIELD is a special organization for homing and raising children with special abilities. Meet the Avengers, a division with six spunky little children and a grumpy leader. Wait, when did they get a new member! [Warnings for young!Avengers, young!Loki, fatherly!Fury, and mentions of child abuse]
1. The Park

**A/N: Warnings for young!Avengers and mentions of child abuse.**

**I found this picture of Nick Fury holding a couple of young!SHIELD agents with the caption "Don't mess with my kids!" and I was ike, that would be the bestest story EVER. I didn't realize this was like XMen until my mom pointed it out...**

**Anyway, this is about the Avengers as children (and Loki) being raised by after their tough lives... I hope you can enjoy it!**

**Furious Daddy Fury**

-{[(•)]}-

Nick Fury was not a kind man. He did not care for any of his charges; they were all horrible children that seemed to be perpetually stuck in their terrible twos. The only reason he took good care of them was because it was his job, and if he didn't do it well, he might as well not do it at all.

SHIELD was a new organization to foster children with dark pasts and... special abilities. The initiative had gathered children from all over the globe, bringing them to the US so they could be trained on how to use their powers without causing mass destruction.

Fury was the head of the Avengers division, six little trouble makers who never seemed to do anything cleanly. Five boys and one girl made for an interesting group...

There was Steve Rogers, the oldest of the Avengers at the age of seventeen. He was a handsome teen, with the all American look of blonde hair and blue eyes, and he loved nothing more than to help out around the dorms. After some sort of experimental testing under the government's radar, he had gained super human strength and agility. His best friend and girlfriend were killed by a gang under the control of the monster 'Red Skull.' Steve used his special abilities to take out the entire gang before he was taken in by SHIELD.

Then there was Clint Barton, a twelve year old gifted with the eyesight of an eagle. He was plain looking, with light brown hair and piercing gray eyes. Since the murder of his only remaining family members, he lived on the streets until he was found by Phil Coulson, a field agent and tutor for SHIELD. Clint tended to hide away in rafters and on top of cabinets, preferring to watch events play out from a distance. One could easily spot one of his 'nests', littered with books on science and history.

Clint's closest friend was Natasha Romanoff, an eleven year old from Russia with long, fiery read hair and sharp brown eyes. Raised in the mafia, the girl grew up as an assassin. Discovered on one of her missions, she was quickly brought to America and delivered to SHIELD. Natasha chose to keep to herself and rarely sought out company beyond Clint. She was a quiet, intelligent girl, with a taste for romance and mystery novels.

The next youngest in the Avenger's division was Thor Odinson, a tall boy for ten years of age with the uncanny ability for getting the weather to match his emotions. He summoned thunder and lightning when angered, and it absolutely flooded with rain when he was sad. The blonde haired, blue eyed preteen was left in the park by his parents after disobeying them and almost wiping out another group of children. He had a unique taste for poptarts and a highly Shakespearian attitude. Thor carried around a hammer, which he claimed made him 'worthy.'

After that came Anthony Stark, a technological genius at the age of nine. He had dark hair and dark eyes to match his father's, a man who died before a bond could really form between them. Tony then grew up under the guidance of his father's best friend; said best friend quickly tried to kill the child genius, leaving him to die of heart failure. Luckily, the boy was saved and brought under the protective wings of SHIELD.

Bruce Banner, another child genius at nine, was caught in an intense lab accident involving gamma radiation. This gave him the power to change from a small, brunette boy with bright eyes into a huge, green monster when angered. This monster was later recognized as the 'Hulk.' Bruce was generally timid and polite, but he contained within him a fierce love for nature and animals. He dreamed of being a veterinarian or doctor when he was an adult, a dream that could only be possible with SHIELD.

But those were only the first six of the Avengers division. The youngest member had yet to join...

-{[(•)]}-

Fury didn't like taking his charges for outings. They were loud, obnoxious, and loved to cause trouble. Plus, they all had super powers, doubling the destruction they caused if they had been normal children. Nick didn't like letting them out of the dorms, where they could run out in the street, or bump into another gang, or get lost or hurt; he had to do it anyway, because as much as he hated it, the kids needed fresh air and ways to expel all their pent up energy beyond sparring and inventing.

So that was why Nick Fury was currently driving a van of super powered children to the park.

Though, he should have guessed that the day wouldn't turn out as planned. The nearest park happened to be the same one where Thor was recently abandoned. The boy was fine with it, but he quickly made a startling discovery upon arrival.

"Loki?!" The blonde shouted in surprise, startling a small figure at the top of the play-structure.

A tiny, pained voice softly replied, "Brother?" The Avengers rushed to gather around the small tower, with Fury and Thor being the only ones to climb to the top.

A boy sat there, maybe six or seven years of age. He was small, even for such a young boy, with neatly trimmed black hair and miserable green eyes. His pale body was littered with bruises and cuts, his leg twisted at an awkward angle, a cast on his left arm, and his face darkened with dirt, grime and tear streaks.

"What happened to you?" Thor demanded, grabbing for his hammer. The little boy blinked away furious tears and stood abruptly, despite his injured leg.

"What happened to ME?! What happened to YOU?! You big IDIOT!" The tiny body lunged, tiny hands poised to strangle the blonde. Fury immediately intervened by grabbing Loki around the waist and holding him above the ground. The child winced and struggled weakly; tears trailed down his cheeks, whether from pain or anger one could not tell. "YOU LEFT ME! YOU LEFT ME WITH THEM!" The boy began to weep softly yet kept talking. "First you took your friends and riled up the big kids, then you didn't even realize when one of them broke my arm. Father and Mother left you behind to take me to the HOSPITAL, you DUMMY! They only left you to teach you a LESSON!"

Thor's blue eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, only causing Loki to wail in rage.

"WE CAME BACK AND YOU WERE GONE! YOU LEFT AND FOUND A NEW FAMILY! YOU LEFT ME WITH THEM!" Green eyes flashed dangerously before he began to still. "You know what they do to me, but you left me anyway... They hurt me Thor... And the big kids hurt Father. They made me leave, brother, because they didn't want me if they couldn't have you too. Did you know I was adopted? I was one of the big kids... They left me too." He sniffled weakly and more tears dropped from his eyes. Loki's eyes sparked again. "MORE KIDS CAME AND HURT ME TOO! YOU DIDN'T PROTECT ME! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED ME!"

He screamed in frustration and hurt and turned his attention to Fury, unaware of the horrified and sad faces staring at him. "LET ME GO! LET GO OF ME! PUT ME... Put me down! Let go! L-let.. Let go," he sobbed quietly. When the adult was assured that the boy would no longer try to strangle his charge, he gently set him down. The dark haired child was swept into a hug by the blonde, both of them trembling.

" ," the blue eyed child called softly, pleading and begging with every ounce of his being.

"We can't just pick up any regular kid off the streets, Thor. If anything, he needs to go to a normal orphanage with normal children and be adopted by normal people," Fury stated firmly. He offered no room for negotiations. Loki only sobbed harder and clung to his brother, his knees giving out beneath him.

"He isn't normal!" Thor retorted. "He's got magic!" Fury raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Come on, brother. Show him what you can do."

"F-Father doesn't let me," Loki whispered an anxious protest. Thor knelt beside him.

" isn't Father. Father left both of us; he hurt both of us. won't do that... doesn't do that," the larger boy offered. "He likes children who are special. He'll like your magic." Loki whimpered and shook his head, terrified of retribution.

"N-no one likes it. N-no one likes me. H-he'll leave me too, a-and he'll take you with him! I-I can't..." He cried.

"You can. Do it for me, please. I can't leave you here. Please, brother. Your magic is a gift. wants to encourage it, not stop it," Thor assured. "He isn't like Father."

The man in question watched the exchange with a careful eye, noticing how scared Loki seemed of using his powers. It seemed the boys' father wasn't kind to either of them. Perhaps he rebuked the younger for using his powers out of spite or because he was the adopted child. Loki was one of the 'big kids', an assumed enemy of the Odinsons.

Finally, Loki nodded tiredly and shifted away from his brother. He held out his hands and focused in silence on something no one else could see. Eventually, a small gold horse formed in his hands and began to trot around, running on air to Fury and dancing around his shoulders. It soon faded out of sight.

"I-I'm sorry I couldn't hold it longer," Loki whispered wearily. "I-I'm just so... tired." He swayed and promptly collapsed. Thor reached out and caught him, apparently used to such occurrences and unaffected.

" , please," Thor begged. This was about the time when the other children gave their input.

" , we can't leave him with some orphanage. He's got powers!" Steve defended the child who kept trembling even in sleep. "He's been abused, , and he needs a home."

"Leaving him is like leaving me," Tony declared. "He sounds just like I did! His parents hurt him too, and left him to be hurt even more. If you leave him, I'm staying with him."

"I agree with Tony," Bruce stated quietly, standing slightly behind his friend. "We can't just abandon him. He needs our help."

"He's like us," Clint offered. "He's like a little bit of all of us. He's hurt, just like we were. It wouldn't be a crime to take care of him. He's got the powers. He's got the abandonment issues. He's pretty much one of us already."

Natasha was the only one who stayed quiet.

Fury sighed and pulled the tiny boy from Thor's arms.

"Fine."

Cheers erupted from the children, and they hurried back to the van. Fury stayed for a moment, allowing a slight tenderness to seep into his touch and gaze as he stared down at the boy in his arms. The dark haired child was badly injured and in desperate need of attention and love.

But this was going to take a lot of paperwork...

-{[(•)]}-


	2. Welcome To The Avengers

[Chapter 2]

"His injuries are fairly severe, sir," the voice echoed faintly through the darkness. "He's got several bruised and even cracked ribs." It was definitely a woman. "His leg is broken to a point where I'm not sure I can help, sir, and the other ankle is fractured in a few places." She was probably young... "His left arm is broken, but it seems to have been treated. He's got signs of starvation, exhaustion, and something that resembles heat stroke."

"So he's pretty banged up," a deep voice responded. Definitely male, older, maybe even taller... "How long until he's awake?"

"He's been awake for a few minutes now, ," a smaller female voice responded. "He shows signs of response to your voices. Keep talking and he might wake up all the way."

"That's a relief. I thought with some of those bruises there might be brain damage and it would take longer..." A lighter male voice said, sounding happy. Who were they talking about? Maybe he could use his magic to heal this person...

"Brother, are you asleep?" A familiar voice questioned. Was it talking to him? He thought it was... "Brother?" It was. "Are you still asleep?"

"Idiot," he sighed tiredly, refusing to open his eyes. It was probably too bright like in all those books he read. "If I were asleep, I wouldn't respond to you."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" Thor challenged. Loki snorted and opened his tired eyes, observing his brother's worried face.

"Wouldn't."

"Are you awake, then?"

"No." Loki closed his eyes again.

Thor huffed, feeling frustrated, and one of the adults laughed. The dark haired boy flinched and his eyes shot open. With a squeak, he used his good arm to pull the sheets over his head.

The sheets fluttered down to lay almost completely flat on the bed.

The adults startled and rushed forward.

"Did he teleport?!" Fury demanded and pulled out a small device to check the energy levels of the room. Thor just snorted.

"He didn't teleport." The three adults gave a sigh of relief. "He can't do that just yet." Fury moaned and let his head hang. Great, another kid that could make themselves disappear. "Loki is still in the bed."

The ten year old stepped forward and lifted the sheets to reveal a quivering black kitten. The blue eyes child gently stroked it between the ears.

"He... turned into a cat?" The shorter man questioned. "I've seen some strange things, but..."

"Loki is a natural shapeshifter. His magic comes from training. When he gets especially scared or nervous, he changes into small animals. I remember once he turned into a mouse and mother almost chopped off his tail," Thor frowned quietly at the memory, still petting his little brother.

"Alright. How do we change him back?" Fury demanded.

The blonde shrugged. "You don't. He will change back when he is ready." The kitten mewled and batted at Thor's hand before changing his line of vision back and forth between his brother and the adults. "Oh!" Thor laughed. "I don't think was quite prepared to wake up to so many adults. Maybe he would be more comfortable if there were fewer people..." Loki nodded timidly and buried himself under the blankets again.

"Hill, thanks for the status. You're dismissed. Coulson, I'm not sure why you were here in the first place, but you're dismissed. Romanof?" The younger male and females nodded and left the room, leaving just Fury and Thor. "Alright, Loki. You can come out now."

"Brother, it is , the man from the park. He's very friendly, remember?" The blonde murmured to the shivering bundle of sheets. Slowly the sheets expanding before falling away to reveal the injured boy.

"S-sorry, . Adults make me n-nervous..." Loki admitted shyly. He rolled over to lay his head back on the pillow, careful not to aggravate his injuries too much. It was a shame he was so experienced at something like that...

"It's alright, kid. I just wanted to talk to you for a little bit, get some things cleared up before we bring you in," the bald man stated plainly. The green eyed boy nodded quietly.

"M-my throat hurts..." He admitted weakly.

"I'll stick to yes or no questions then."

A nod of compliance.

Meanwhile, Thor snuck off to get his brother some water and a couple of poptarts.

"So, you've got magic."

Nod.

"Are you any good with it?"

Nod.

"Are you afraid of what you can do?"

Loki shook his head slowly.

"Are you afraid of what others do? When you use your magic, I mean..."

Nod. Tiny tears formed in the boy's bright eyes. Maybe it was time for a subject change.

"Do you remember us finding you in the park?"

Nod.

"Did you see the other children?"

Shake.

"Could you handle meeting them?"

Loki seemed hesitant. He hadn't even seen the other children in the park, and they were Thor's new friends. Last time Thor made friends, he used them to ignore Loki, especially when Father was angry. Was it going to happen again? Was he going to be cast into the shadows again, lost behind Thor's glory?

The boy's shoulders trembled softly at the thought. Was he ever going to be loved? Or was he doomed to always be ignored? He didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted friends, a family! A family who loved him, at least.

"Hey, there's no need to cry," Fury said. It was not necessarily soft, nor was it hard. It was simple- a statement. It was as close to gentle as he could probably get.

The man leaned forward and lightly placed a hand on Loki's shoulder, noting the way it flinched under his touch. His other hand came up to wipe Loki's eyes.

"Let me make this clear, kid. If we didn't like you, you wouldn't be here. If we didn't care about you, you wouldn't even be a thought in our minds. You're here because of your brother and the other children here. They practically begged for you to be allowed to stay. They genuinely liked you. I'm not saying you have to meet them all at once, but if you wanted to get introduced one at a time, I'm sure we could arrange something. That sound good?" Fury preached, understanding the basic mental status of abuse and neglect victims.

Loki nodded quietly, but tears still dripped from his eyes. Thor appeared then and silently handed his brother a sippy-cup of water. The younger boy frowned at it for a moment before he recognized the trembling of his hands. He sighed softly and drank a few sips.

"Alright. Are you still okay to answer questions?" Fury requested. Loki nodded again, the cup still in his mouth. He looked smaller somehow, more innocent and fragile. The man tried to focus on the tasks at hand.

"These next questions are probably going to be a little more personal. Are you okay with that?" Nod.

"You mentioned being adopted. Do you know if it was legal?"

Loki summoned his voice for this. "It wasn't," he croaked. "Father found me and took me home, but he never signed any papers."

"That's probably for the best then. Speaking of your father, am I correct in assuming that he abused you?"

Fury definitely got his answer when the room practically exploded with magic energy as Loki chucked the sippy-cup across the room, sobbing and wailing.

The dark skinned man moved to either comfort or silence the boy, but he was stopped by a hand on his elbow. Dark eyes looked down to see Thor, who quietly shook his head.

"LOKI!" The ten year old called in an authoritative voice. "That is enough! You are going to injure yourself further and you are recklessly wasting energy! meant no harm by his line of questioning!"

Loki stilled, angry and fearful tears still streaming down his cheeks. He sniffled defiantly and held out his hand. This apparently summoned the sippy-cup, which floated peacefully back into his hands. The green and gold aura that had began to cover everything died away instantly, but signs of magical energy remained in Loki's glaring eyes.

"This is the third time he's made me cry," he murmured, clearly frustrated. Thor rolled his eyes.

"How else is he supposed to figure out if he's going to adopt you unless he knows about you?" The blonde huffed. "Honestly. Sometimes you make such a fuss..." Green eyes shifted away, slightly shameful.

"I didn't know he wanted to adopt me... No one wants me..."

Fury raised an eyebrow. Was the kid just throwing a pity party or did he actually believe that? Nevermind... Considering he was an abuse victim, it was probably the latter...

"Well, clearly that's not true 'cause that's why I'm here. I'm looking to make an investment in you, kid. I want to figure out if you should be here or not, and from the sounds of things, you're probably sticking around for a while," the man spoke boldly with a hint of pride. Loki's eyes widened in amazement and he turned to face him happily.

"Really?!" He beamed. Fury smirked and stood up, surprisingly happy with himself for getting the kid to smile.

"We'll start introducing you to the others tomorrow, one at a time of course, and once you can move more freely we'll get you started on your new school work. We'll have to start talking about preferences, because I don't know about you, but I'm not fond of the Cinderella-in-rags look. You're gonna need some new clothing. After that, we can get you a room set up. Maybe we can even find a magic teacher for you, someone to help you master your skills. Kid, I think I'm about ready to make you an Avenger," Fury finished with a proud smile, offering his hand to the injured seven year old.

Loki stared at the hand with wide eyes. Tears of joy poured down his cheeks. With a small smile, he reached out and shook the man's hand.

"T-thank you, . I-I don't know else to say..."

-{[(•)]}-

**A/N: My mom said Fury was out of character. What do you think? He gets better as the chapters go along...**


	3. Injuries and Meeting Tony

[Chapter 3]

"Sir, I hate to say this... But, sir, he can't walk. Probably not ever. Even if we got him the best physical therapy, there is no fix for what's been done to him. He won't walk again, sir," Maria explained as calmly as possible. Not only had the leg been twisted quite terribly, there were several broken bones, damaged muscles, and severed nerves. It was practically impossible that the child could ever walk again, let alone stand.

Fury just chuckled. "You know how I feel about the words can't and won't, Hill. I think you're forgetting- in this building we've got two master assassins at the ages of twelve and eleven, a boy who can turn into a raging green... thing, two child geniuses, a ten year old who can summon lightning... I just don't think you get it. There is no can't anymore. Never was. Anything and everything is possible."

"Well, sir... Currently, his is unable to walk, and we have no way to help him, sir. There is no therapy or solution I know of beyond magic, and the only magician we know isn't experienced enough to heal something of this magnitude. With all due respect, sir," the brunette nodded stiffly, throughly intimidated after Fury's lecture. The man sighed and nodded. He waved his hand in a simple gesture that let her know she was dismissed.

"Oh, and can you call Coulson in? Thanks," he called to her as an afterthought.

Sure enough, the bright eyed man walked in a few moments later. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat politely in the chair in front of Fury's desk.

"You called, sir?" He asked in a light tone. He had an idea of what this meeting was going to be about...

"Have you tested him yet?" Nick asked.

"Not yet. He was sleeping last time I went in, and the time before that he was talking to Thor. Sounded serious, so I left them alone," Phil explained in reply.

"When can you try again? It's important that we get an idea of where he's at. You might end up giving him private lessons; he seems timid around new people. That just means we need to get you two introduced and quickly," the head of the Avengers declared firmly. "If he doesn't meet you soon, he might not get used to you. That would be a problem."

"I'll get right on it, sir. Though, I've talked to Thor, and Loki sounds like he's a pretty smart kid. I believe he was reading eighth grade level books." The men nodded in unison.

"Well, I guess that's that then. Test him, get to know him, maybe help introduce him to the others. That should be it for him. What about the others? How are they doing?"

-[]-

Loki timidly looked up when a boy opened the door. A wild mess of brown curls stood out on his head, and his large chocolate eyes took in every detail of the room with mild interest. Then they landed on the injured boy in the bed.

"See! I told you, Bruce! He's totally awake. Come on! Let's meet him!" The boy cried eagerly, looking out into the hallway.

A small voice nervously replied, "No, Tony! said he gets scared around people! We shouldn't even be here! We're gonna get in trouble because of you!"

The brunette in the doorway scoffed. "Fury's never gonna find out! But if you're too scared, I guess you can just go back to your room. By yourself..."

"Tony!"

Loki watched the nine year old with wide eyes. He breathing started to quicken, and his heart beat brutally against his chest.

"You'll be fine. Besides, I'll just chat for a minute, and then I'll be right behind you!" The boy reassured.

"Fine," the other voice huffed, and quiet footsteps moved away from the medical room. Loki's attention was quickly brought back to the other child in the room when 'Tony' sat on the end of the bed.

"So you're Thor's little brother," he murmured with fascination.

Loki shyly averted his eyes. "Y-yeah."

"And you can do magic. How does that work? Is it real? Can you show me something?" Tony questioned in rapid succession. The dark haired boy blushed at the attention, but he felt his heart rate slowing. He quietly waved his hands, making a few glowing flowers appear. "Are they real?" Tony's eyes sparkled. "Can I touch 'em?"

Loki shifted and silently nodded.

Just as Tony reached his hand out, the door opened and Fury walked in. The man's eyebrow twitched, and he grabbed the nine year old's ear without another thought, dragging him from the door despite the boy's many protests.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!" Tony yelped. "I wasn't hurtin' him! Promise! I was bein' nice!"

"I don't care, I told you to stay out of there!" Fury snapped.

"W-wait!" Loki's voice came quietly from the room. "C-could he stay? P-please?" Met with Loki's desperate voice and Tony's pleading eyes, Nick sighed and released the boy's ear.

"Don't think you're getting out of trouble."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir!"

And with that, Tony hurried back into the medical room.

He sat down on the end of the bed with a 'plunk' and began to study Loki, his mind whirring away at a million miles an hour.

"So. You look fine. Why are you still in here?" Tony asked. Loki sighed and looked down to where his hands fiddled with the bed sheets.

"I am unable to walk..." He admitted. He sounded tired and a little depressed. That was not fun, and Tony didn't like anything that was not fun.

"That doesn't explain why you're still in here," the brunette pestered, softly poking Loki's good arm.

" had to order a wheelchair."

Oh. Bummer...

"I don't see why he needs to do that. I could build you one like that!" Tony snapped. He thought for a moment. "And it could have cup holders, and Internet connection... and maybe it could even have a little compartment that gives you Goldfish!"

"You could build that?" Loki questioned, impressed.

"Sure! I build lots of things!" The brown eyes boy grinned. "Like Clint, he wants to be a spy and an archer, so I made him a collapsible bow and a special... thingy to hold his arrows."

"Do you mean a _quiver?_" The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! That! And Bruce's clothes kept getting lost when he turned into the other guy, so I just made him some special stretchy pants in his favorite color!"

"Really? And why did the pants need to stretch? What methods did you use to create such a thing?" The miniature magician asked with bright eyes.

Just beyond the door, Fury listened in thoughtfully. He quietly stepped away and moved down the hallway. Loki would be fine; he was going to fit in just perfectly with the other Avengers.

-{[(•)]}-

**A/N: I think this sounds like Tony. Sorry about making Loki's legs totally useless. You probably hate me, but just imagine how cute it really looks. Little, short, seven year old Loki in a tiny wheelchair made by Stark, with Bruce and Tony standing on either side of him. I could die from the cuteness... *shrivels up and slithers away***


	4. Meeting Bruce and A Magic Show

**A/N: I think I made Bruce and Tony twins by accident... They're both nine, both have brown hair and brown eyes, both like science, and they don't like being separated... I CALL TWINS!**

[Chapter 4]

Tony had made it his goal to introduce everyone to Loki. One at a time though, because really, the kid was a nervous wreck. The adults could plan and plot all they wanted, but he was going to get stuff done!

"Come on come on come on come on come on!" Tony whined, tugging on his best friend's sleeve. "He's really cute, and I know you'll like him! He's super smart too, so we don't even have to talk dumb like with Steve!"

"No, Tony. I'm not getting in trouble because of you. Besides, if anything goes wrong, the other guy will come out. I don't want Loki to get hurt," Brice rolled his eyes and continued reading.

"You are zero fun!" Tony wailed. "Please?! Break the rules just this once! Then I'll leave you alone, and you came be a goody two shoes forever!"

"I said no, Tony!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Pretty please?!"

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"Pretty please with purple frosting and little green rage monsters on top?"

"That is not funny."

"You're smiling."

"Doesn't mean it's funny. Maybe I'm just happy."

"Happy cause you're about to see Loki?"

"No, Tony."

-[]-

"Hi, Loki. I'm Bruce," the second brunette introduced himself politely.

"H-hello," Loki smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks. Tony told me you can do magic," Bruce smiled.

"He can!" The first brunette bounced excitedly. "Show him! Show him!"

Bruce have Tony a reprimanding glare before he returned his gaze to Loki. "Only if that's okay with you, Loki." Internally, the miniature scientist in Bruce was jumping at the chance to see something of the magical nature. Externally, he was trying to be considerate to the disabled kid in front of him.

"I-it's fine. It's nice that someone likes my abilities..." When Loki looked down at his hands in concentration, Tony and Bruce shared a look.

Eventually, a small green bird appeared in the seven year old's hands. It hopped curiously closer to the two brunettes. When Bruce reached out to it, it chittered in fright and flew across the room.

"Wow," the dark eyes child breathed. "It acts and reacts like a real bird. How do you do that?"

"You make a lot of nature stuff," Tony observed before listing off items on his fingers. "First you did the little horse trick for Fury, then you did the flowers for me, and now you've done a bird for Bruce. You some kind of hippie or something?"

"No, I am not a hippie," the green eyed boy's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Things that are found naturally are just easier to replicate. Most magic has some kind of connection to the earth." Bringing up his hands, he made a glowing projection of the earth, subtly dimming the lights as well. "You may have seen this in Avatar, but the four elements are-"

"Water, earth, fire, and air," Bruce nodded thoughtfully. Loki's spinning globe disappeared to make four representation of the previously mentioned symbols. For water, there was the image of a moving waterfall. For earth, there were changing pictures of the Grand Canyon and several other famous natural landmarks. For fire, there was what appeared to be footage of a forest fire, and for air, there was a projection of trees swaying in the wind. Above each magical representation was the appropriate 'nation symbol' from the popular television series.

"That's so cool," Tony whispered and reached out his hand. When it touch the image of the waterfall, he gasped and pulled back. "I got wet!" He even held out the dripping hand to Bruce. Both children now sat on the end of the medical bed, watching Loki's presentation in amazement.

"If I touched the fire, would I get burned?" Bruce asked. The green eyed boy laughed and shook his head.

"I was just messing with Tony. Water isn't too difficult to conjure, since there's already condensation in the air. Magic is just like... advanced science, I guess you could say," he explained quietly. Loki was secretly pleased that his new friends seemed to be enjoying his skills.

Moving on with the lesson, Loki let the images fade. He brought up a new projection of a ball of glowing light. Stands of light twisted around the sphere and danced away from it. "This is a representation of pure magical energy. Magicians can get energy from the environment around them, or they can steal it from another source. I usually get my magic from small creatures or plants."

"Does that hurt them? The animals I mean..." Tony questioned.

"No. They don't use their magical energy, so they wouldn't even notice if it was gone," Loki shrugged. The bird from across the room tweeted cheerfully, as though to confirm what the boy had said. The child's green eyes glittered as he conjured a simple image of a person. "When magicians practice their magic and train with it, they build up their reserves, where thy store their energy." The glowing figure waved their hands, drawing tiny balls of white energy to them. The spheres combined and went inside the figure, forming a glowing heart in their chest.

"What happens if you use too much energy?" Tony asked. Bruce nodded thoughtfully. Loki frowned and thought for a moment.

"Well..." He waved his hands, making the figure demonstrate his next words. "Similar to how the magical energy is connected to nature, the energy is also connected to the magician. When they use all of that energy, it can start to drain them, causing them physical damage." The glowing heart inside the figure faded to a black hole, and the figure grabbed at the hole before falling sideways, seemingly in pain. "I've heard of some magicians going blind, or even falling into comas and never waking up."

Bruce and Tony winced.

"That's not good," Bruce muttered.

"I'll say," Tony agreed. The three boys sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments.

"What about us? What if we tried to use magic?" Bruce questioned. Loki shook his head.

"I doubt it would work. Everything has magical energy, but only some people are gifted with the ability to tap into that magic energy and use it," he answered.

"Does it cost a lot of energy to make pictures like this?" Tony asked.

"Not really," Loki shrugged. "I'm just bending the rays of light that were already here. I simply add color by reflecting the light off of something with that color."

"How do you improve your magic?" Bruce wondered.

"Magic energy can be used for anything. It is only as limited as your imagination, I guess, so you just improve it by thinking of new ways to use it. The more you practice, the better you get at it. And the better you get at it, the easier it is to think of ways to use it," Loki grinned at his explanation. He felt proud of himself for explaining it so perfectly.

"You showed us pure magic energy, and that was white. Is it white because it's pure or just because you made it white? Is there such a think as black energy?" Tony blurted, thinking back to the earlier projection.

The seven year old's face became solemn, and his face significantly paled.

Silently, he conjured several spheres of different colored energies, including red, purple, green, blue, pink, white, and black. He first brought the blue energy to the front, making the other globes smaller in comparison.

Quietly, the other boys noted the different ways the energies moved and acted. The white energy moved beautifully and gently, soothingly like nature itself. The blue energy was just as serene and peaceful, but it was quicker in movement. The green energy looked more like a small ball of fire than energy. The red energy cackled and flickered like lightning, and the purple energy pushed and pulsed like it was alive. Lastly, the black energy sizzled like acid, constantly bubbling and popping with sparks of energy coming off it.

"I assume you have seen the show Danny Phantom," Loki began.

"Yeah, we have," Bruce nodded, completely interested in the boy's speech.

"Wait, hold up. Danny Phantom is stupid; ghosts are so not real."

"As we are currently talking about magic and natural energy..."

"Shut up..."

"As I was trying to say," Loki grinned softly. "The makers of that show had a fairly good idea of what natural energies are like. The weakest energy is blue. It is naturally very peaceful, so it's mostly used by magicians who are healers." He brought the green energy forward. "Green energy is the next most powerful. It's somehow much more raw than blue energy, making it like fire which is wild and fairly unpredictable. It can be very explosive as well, when it is condensed..." The sphere closed in on itself before exploding outwards in a blinding ball of light that made the boy's cover their eyes. When they looked back, it was back to the green fire from before. "I only use green energy because of that rawness, which makes it powerful as well."

"But you also use gold energy. That's the stuff you used to make the horse for Fury," Tony commented. "There's no gold energy there."

"There is; you just don't see it," Loki smirked. "The next energy is red. It's only slightly more stable than green energy because it's slightly less raw. This makes it have the consistency of lightning or electricity." The red energy moved forward next, flickering and cackling so loud the boys could hear it. "I only use red energy when I combine it with green energy. This makes it much more powerful, because it is raw, which is good, but stable, which is better." The red and green spheres of energy combined to make gold energy which swirled and sparked beautifully.

"Why don't you just use gold energy all of the time?" Bruce pondered. "If it's more stable and it works best..."

"Gold energy can't be condensed. And using it just requires more magical energy altogether." The green eyed boy waved his hands in a 'what can you do?' gesture.

"So gold energy is for special occasions then?" Tony asked.

"Not really. It only takes a little more concentration than green energy. But, green energy just comes more naturally to me. Anyway..." He separated the gold energy into green and red energy again. Then he pulled the purple energy forward. "Purple energy is even more powerful than red energy because it's raw and completely unstable, but it is very easily controlled. I can't use purple energy yet, though, so I can't really tell you much about it." The purple sphere moved backwards, and Tony looked excited at the thought of finally having his question answered.

Instead Loki waved his hands and all of the spheres disappeared.

"Something you must understand is the connection between magical energy and the user. As I said, the more a person uses their energy, the bigger their reserves grow and the more they can use. When their reserves grow, the become even more connected to their magical energy, until the person and the magic work as one unit." Loki's face never lost its seriousness, and Bruce and Tony calmly remained serious as well. "It doesn't take very long for a person's magical energy to begin to bond with their personality. Some energies will feel more natural to them than others, as I showed you with the green energy and I. Some people are dark on the inside. That is what transfers to their magical energy... and makes it as black as their soul."

The room was silent for a long moment.

"Scary," Tony nodded. Bruce hummed.

"I'm serious!" Loki cried. "When people are bad, it makes their energy bad!" He summoned the image of the acidic black energy. "Black energy is just as powerful as the pure white stuff." He brought up another white nervy sphere next to it. "Except, black energy is magical energy in its darkest form. It is evil, and it can only be used for destruction. Nothing good ever comes from black energy."

"Alright, alright, we got it. What is that lesson supposed to help us do? Avoid people destroying stuff with glowing black stuff?" Tony questioned, folding his arms behind his head lazily. He fell backwards to lay on the bed.

"I guess! I don't know! You're the one who asked about black energy!" Loki shouted. Bruce chuckled anxiously.

"I don't think he meant anything bad, Loki. He probably just thinks you're being too serious about it. He's allergic to seriousness, you know," Bruce ended in a secretive whisper.

"I am!" Tony defended. "It makes me itchy! Look, I'm breaking out in a rash now!" He scratched his arms playfully.

Loki snickered and waved his hands, causing Tony's skin to become an irritated red. The brunette yelped and scratched viscously, howling out a distressed whine of "LOOOOOKKKIII~!"

-[]-

Fury thoughtfully leaned back in his chair, observing the scene of the three boys in the medical room. He folded his hands together and shifted in his leather office chair.

"So that's how magic works. I guess he won't be needing a teacher after all." The man raised an eyebrow and carefully addressed Stark's little friend. "JARVIS?"

There was no response.

"You know I monitor everything the kids do. You think I don't know you're there?"

Hesitantly, the AI replied, "Yes, Master Fury?"

"Could you email Hill and Coulson the basic details of Loki's little presentation?" The one eyed man requested.

"Certainly, sir. Will that be all?"

"Keep helping Stark. I know you're doing a good job. Maybe you can help Loki a little bit, too."

"I'll do my best, Master Fury."

-{[(•)]}-

**A/N: Review and you get virtual cupcakes with purple frosting and little green rage monsters on top! :)**


	5. Meeting Clint and Test Scores

[Chapter 5]

"What are you waiting for?"

Clint jumped about a foot in the air. Turning around to the source of the voice, he dramatically placed a hand over his heart.

"Gosh, Tasha!" He shouted. "Way to give a guy a heart attack!"

"You'll live," she shrugged carelessly. "Besides, anyone could have snuck up on you with you staring at the door like that. I thought you were going to burn a hole through it."

"I wasn't staring at it," he mumbled with a slight blush.

"You want to meet him. Everyone does," she replied simply. "I get it. I even want to talk to him, and I already saw him. He's a cute kid. Sounds pretty sweet too. Just go in there."

"I don't want to freak him out!" The sandy blonde protested.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"He's already met Tony and Bruce. If things turn out badly, escape through the vents. There's also the window, and there's the trap door under the bed."

"He's disabled, Tasha. I don't think I'd need to escape."

"You would if Fury comes in."

The two children stared at each other for a long moment.

"Fine," Clint sighed. "I'll go in. You're meeting him next."

"I'll be the only one left besides Steve. Phil went in yesterday to test him. I think he's gonna end up in private lessons. And Steve won't go in until he gets approval from Fury. So I'm most likely to be the next one he meets anyway," she sighed.

"Buzz kill." Clint smiled nervously. "See you at dinner?"

"Definitely."

With that wonderful amount of courage boost, the hawk-eyed child entered the medical room. Silently he walked around the end of the bed to stand next to the reading seven year old.

"Hi, I'm Clint."

Loki screamed.

Clint flinched and covered his ears, backing away quickly. The book dropped out of Loki's hands and his green eyes darted all over the room before landing on the surprised twelve year old.

"Don't do that!" He shouted angrily, one hand over his heart. "Why would you do that? What did I ever do to you?!"

"Sorry!" The grey eyed boy apologized. "I didn't know I was going to scare you so badly! I'll... I'll leave if you want me to."

Loki took a moment to regulate his breathing.

"I-it's fine. Just don't sneak up on me again. I am not fond of surprises," he declared. His eyes flashed with annoyance. "Anyway, what did you say your name was?"

"I'm Clint," the twelve year old repeated. The seven year old studied him for a short moment.

"So your the one who Tony made the bow and arrows for," he murmured.

"He told you about that?" The dirty blonde scratched the back of his head, blushing lightly.

"Are you any good?"

"What?"

"With archery, I mean. Are you skilled at archery?"

"I guess... I mean, I always hit the bullseye."

"You'll have to show me sometime."

"Sure. I heard that you make magic."

"You don't make magic! You use it, or summon it. It's all about energy!"

"Oh. That's cool, I guess."

"You guess a lot."

"So... What about magic? Could you show me something?"

"Is that all I'm good for around here? Aren't any of you people interested in my other abilities?"

"Well, we would be if we knew what they were. What else can you do?"

"I'm good at knife throwing. I also hit the bullseye every time."

"Sweet! What kind of knives do you use?"

"I don't know?! Knives?!"

"Hey, there's no need to get so worked up about it! I just... I heard there's, like, special knives for throwing... Or something."

"I just use whatever knives I can find."

"That's cool too. I guess that means you're good at adjusting..."

"You guess a lot."

"You said that already."

-[]-

Fury watched the boys bicker, silently hating the fact that he was going to have a another group of children who consistently fought. Although... Bruce, Tony, and Clint seemed to get along fine, and since Loki liked Tony and Bruce, that might mellow everyone out.

"Sir, I finished grading Loki's tests, sir," Coulson called, leaning into the room.

"That's good. Let me see," Nick nodded gesturing to the seats in front of his desk. The light haired man sat down and folded his hands in front of him.

"He's brilliant, sir. I'm putting him in with Tony and Bruce."

"Really. I could have sworn he was only seven. What is it with all these young geniuses?" The one eyed man sighed. "What were his scores? I can't decipher the mumbo jumbo you scribbled down here." The younger man had the decency to blush.

"Well, sir, he was almost at high school level in his reading. He seems to understand most concepts of literature and writing. He had college level science scores, too," Phil grinned faintly. "I'm seeing a reoccurring theme here..."

"As am I. Does he specialize in any specific field?" Fury questioned thoughtfully, yet he tiredly rubbed his temples with his fingertips.

"No, sir. He's perfectly rounded. Biology, chemistry, physics... I tested him on everything I could, sir."

"Good. What about history and math?"

"He did well with math as well, sir. He came in around sixth grade level or so. History... not so hot, sir," the light eyed man shrugged. "He came in around second or third grade there. He has a basic understanding of history from all around the world, but he doesn't understand the elements of culture or geography, sir."

"I see. That seems odd, though. He does especially well in science, but he doesn't know much about the politics of earth. He does well in literature, but he doesn't understand culture? I'd say he's probably adverse to people in general..." The older man pondered.

"That what his scores indicate, sir. He's not fond of... social interaction. He insisted that I call it history instead of social science," Phil shrugged. "Do you want me to work with him, sir?"

"Not especially. The others will help more than you probably would... Coulson, you're dismissed." The shorter man stood and left the room.

Fury turned his attention back to the screen with the view of the medical room, where Loki was outright laughing at Clint's flushed face. The man sighed and tiredly buried his face in his hands.

-{[(•)]}-

**A/N: Next time, we get to meet Natasha! :)**

***breaks down into tears* A-actually, I need some help... How do Natasha and Loki interact like this?! I don't understand... *cries***


	6. Meeting Natasha and The Wheelchair

**A/N: It is amazing what a few reviews and some favs can do for your writer's block. I had no clue what to write for this chapter and then some of you really wonderful people gave me some ideas through reviews. I was always going to have them talk about books, but when I originally wrote their scene I had them competitively quoting the "Battle of Wits" from the ****Princess Bride****... I'm so glad I deleted that... *blushes* Anyway, for your awesome support and help you all get your own set of marbles! (You should understand after reading the chapter.)**

[Chapter 6]

Loki had been asleep when Natasha had entered. He was cute like that, she gently noticed as she calculatingly took in his peacefully features. In her mind she perfectly pictured the pain and terror from his first day of awareness with the Avengers.

Realizing that she was now staring at the tiny seven year old, she quietly stole a mystery novel from his stack of books and sat down in the armchair in the corner. She brought her legs up beside her, carefully observing her surroundings over the top of her book. Already, she knew the locations of everyone in the building, so she felt no problems about settling down with the book to read.

-[]-

When his eyes opened slowly, Loki immediately noticed the presence of the other person in the room. With such bright red hair and pretty brown eyes, it could be no one else but the single female Avenger. He watched her warily for a moment, until he took notice of the book she was reading.

"I like that one, too. How far in are you?" Loki questioned softly, still tired. His tiny, pale hands lifted to his face to gently rub the sleep away.

If Natasha were any lesser woman, she might have jumped. As it was, she just lowered her book to observe the seven year old. His hair was still slightly messy from sleeping, and his green eyes were filled with sleep. Adorable...

"It is a good book," she agreed before glancing at the page number. "I'm on page 46. The main five just met Danny."

"I bet you'll love what happens next!" Loki grinned mischievously. The redhead squealed slightly and covered her ears.

"Don't tell me!" She barked. "I want to read it myself!"

"I wasn't going to. I was just kidding," he was still smiling softly. "What's your favorite kind of book?"

"The good kind."

Loki pouted. "Come on!" He whined. "I'll tell you my favorite!" Natasha smirked slightly, feeling proud of herself for getting him back so quickly.

"I like mystery novels. The ones where you choose which path you get," she admitted. "What about you?"

"I prefer fantasy books. Stories that take you to far away places or let you meet strange animals," the dark haired child sighed wistfully and sat up against the pillows.

"Speaking of going somewhere new," Natasha bit her lip as she decided whether to continue or not. "Why are you still in the medical room? We've already set up another bed and dresser in Thor's room. And I heard about your legs. The wheelchair should have gotten here by now, right?"

Loki giggled quietly into his hands. "I would have the wheelchair already, but... Tony wanted to make a few, ah, adjustments..."

"Did he get Bruce to help him?" The brown eyed girl inquired with a knowing grin.

"Of course."

"You'll probably never see that wheelchair again..."

The duo laughed.

"You're nice," Loki stated quietly, almost so quietly that she didn't hear it. "C-can we be friends?"

"Sure," she shrugged. Mentally, she cheered. Finally she had another friend besides Clint! And Loki was just too cute!

"O-okay," the green eyed child smiled happily. He adjusted the sheets around him and fidgeted with his hands. "Are there any other kinds of books you like?"

Natasha blushed discretely and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I'm eleven now," she boasted slightly, "So Fury let's me read... er, romance books." Loki's face bloomed an excellent shade of red.

"A-am I too young?" He whispered. The redhead blinked in surprise and stared at him for a moment.

"I guess he might let you read some," she managed. The tiny boy let out a short breath of relief.

"So!" Natasha quickly searched for a new subject. "What- what other kinds of things do you like?"

"I like to write, and I throw knives sometimes..." The green eyed child shrugged.

"Do you have anything with you that you've written?" The brown eyed eleven year old wondered. Loki grinned.

"I don't normally write with pens and paper."

"Do- Do you use magic then?" She asked.

"Yes," his face flushed and he smiled. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a marble from behind the stack of books.

"If you say that's your magic crystal ball-" Natasha warned teasingly. The dark haired boy laughed.

"No! It's more like a magical filing cabinet," he explained. He set it on the sheets in front of him and swiped upwards with his finger, bringing out a magical set of glowing files. Cautiously, Natasha got up from her chair to approach the bed.

Loki's eyes drifted over the folders before he picked one up with a grin. He swiped downwards to put the others away before opening the one he held. Instantly, several different stacks of paper floated up into view.

"Which do you like more, dragons or faeries?" He asked the awestruck girl beside him.

"Dragons," she breathed as she stared at the stories in front of her. "This is like a touch screen computer... Tony's probably made something like this."

"I made the system myself," Loki gave a proud little smirk. "Dragons, you said? Okay..." He reached up to a stack of papers floating to his left and handed it to Natasha on his right. He swiped downwards twice to put the other papers back into the file and return it to the marble.

"You wrote this?" The redheaded girl mumbled after reading a few paragraphs. "It's interesting. So the dragons are being attacked by the humans, because they don't know how else to get food."

"That's the general concept, yes," Loki beamed. She liked his story!

"May I keep this for a little bit so I can read it?" Natasha requested. The green eyed boy nodded, obviously pleased. The girl carefully slipped the pages under the cover of the book she had been reading and promised herself to get back to it later.

"Loki! We finished-!" Tony yelled as he burst into the room, pushing the door so hard it slammed into the wall, bounced back, and knocked him over.

"Tony!" Loki cried is shock. The brunette sat up with a sheepish grin while Bruce calmly entered through the open doorway. The shorter nine year old was pushing Loki's wheelchair.

"Hey, Nat!" Tony smirked and popped up from the floor. Now ignoring her, he practically pounced on the seven year old in the hospital bed. "We're all done now, Loki! We knew you needed it really quick, so we stayed up all night to work on it!"

"R-really?" The dark haired boy seemed surprised that they would go to such lengths for him. "Did say I could leave now?"

"This goofball was too excited to ask him," Bruce scoffed playfully. "Luckily, I was able to ask while I was bringing the wheelchair, which he also forgot."

"Anyway! Check it out!" Tony exclaimed and pushed the wheelchair closer to the bed. "There's storage space in these pouches on the back and underneath." He gestured to said pouches. "That way you don't have to carry all of those... books- (insert shudder) -around on your lap. We also spruced up the brakes, because they certainly were going to work if you were ever going I speeds you should!"

"Tony, I doubt he'll use his wheelchair to zoom like crazy all through the house..." Natasha admonished playfully.

"Be quiet, oh killer-of-joy," he retorted. "Anyway! You can get direct connection to JARVIS through here." Tony pointed to a miniature touch screen on the end of the right armrest. "That way, you can get connection to us or ask questions whenever and wherever you need to. It's kinda like wifi, but it works everywhere."

"Can I explain stuff now?" Bruce sighed. His brown eyed friend huffed but nodded anyway. "Thank you. Under the left armrest is a goldfish dispenser. Unfortunately, we haven't filled it yet. It also works with most cereals and small snacks."

"That's neat! Thanks," Loki grinned. Having 24/7 access to goldfish was like a gift from the snack gods!

Natasha giggled quietly into her hand. Boys and their goldfish. She like marshmallows and gummy bears more herself, but maybe that was just her...

"And, just in case you need to defend yourself... Now, I know you have magic, but we heard from Clint about the knives thing. So, just in case, if you turn around, you can pull this up to get a set of throwing knives," Bruce demonstrated by grabbing the bottom of the back of the seat. He grabbed the lower edge and pulled the padded flap up to reveal two rows of aforementioned knives. "We added padding so the knives won't poke you, and we tried to make them easily accessible. will tell you it's not okay to have weapons, but he doesn't really believe that. Each of us always has some kind of protection on at all times. Clint's got his bow and arrows. Nat's got her mini pistol and her stun gun. Tony's got his repulsers. Thor carries around his hammer, and Steve wears his shield. Heck, even and have weapons on them. The only reason I don't carry a weapon is... Well, I hope you never have to find out. But now you've got knives and your magic. Welcome to the Avengers, I guess."

Loki trembled ever so slightly.

"Is there really a chance I'm going to need those?" He gasped softly.

Tony shrugged sadly. "Who can say? There's lots of creeps out there. And we're kind of special cases. Plus, they also kind of work as security blankets. Makes everybody feels safe. Lord knows everyone around here needs it," he ended in a grumble.

"Come on, guys. Don't freak the poor kid out. None of us have ever really needed them," the redhead eleven year old declared. She ran her fingers through her hair and grabbed her book. "Thanks for the stories, Loki. Will I finally see you at dinner? I can't imagine you eating like your brother."

"No," Loki chuckled. "We eat very differently..."

"Alright. See you later then."

And then there were three.

"Do you know how to use the wheelchair, Loki?" Bruce asked after the brief moment of silence.

"N-no," the green eyed boy admitted.

"Oh, it's easy! You'll catch on quick as lightning," Tony nodded certainly. "I can teach you. My f-family got in an accident once and I refused to use the crutches while we were at the hospital." The brunette sat down in the chair and placed his hands on the wheels. "Okay, so you push forward to go forward, you push behind you to go backwards, push on the left wheel to turn right, and you push on the right wheel to turn left." He demonstrated each motion before stopping in front of the bed. "We can practice drifting later."

"Tony!" Bruce scolded. "Don't listen to him; he is being silly."

"Can I try now?" Loki stifled his giggles.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's pick him up fireman style to put him in it!" Tony shrieked with glee. Bruce sent him a short glare before letting out a deep sigh.

"Alright. Is that okay with you, Loki?" He questioned. The younger boy nodded quickly and moved the blankets from his lower half. Tony suddenly gasped and covered his mouth with both hands.

"Y-your leg!" He stuttered. The three boys looked at the twisted and mangled limb. "Doesn't that hurt?!"

"S-sort of..." The dark haired boy admitted. He nervously held out his arms to be carried. Bruce nodded slowly, looking a little green.

"You alright, big guy?" Tony whispered to Bruce once they had Loki between them. "You're turning a little.. green."

"I'm fine," the other brunette gritted out as he and Tony pulled Loki's arms around their shoulders and slid their arms under his legs. "I just can't believe someone would do this to a seven year old..."

"I-I'm fine, really," Loki protested quietly as they set him in the wheelchair. "C-could you hand me the blue blanket? Yeah, the fuzzy one." He gently laid it over his legs and smoothed out the wrinkles. "Thank you. Now, let's put my books in."

"Why don't you just practice moving without the extra weight for now?" Tony suggested. He and Bruce quickly sat on the bed to give Loki room to practice. As the seven year old began to move, the boys shifted closer to whisper with each other.

"How could they have gotten his leg that messed up?" Tony wondered quietly as he watched the green eyed boy moving forwards and backwards slowly. "It looks like they twisted it in circles and then stuck his knee in a blender and then smashed his foot with a hammer and then hacked at the whole thing with a butcher knife!"

"I have no idea..." Bruce growled quietly, eyes flashing. "And his other ankle... It wasn't just twisted or sprained. It looked like someone tried to turn it a full 360 degrees before hitting it with a bat three or four times. It couldn't have just twisted to bruised like that without outside interference..."

"Why would that even do that to him? He's the sweetest kid I know, and he'd already been dumped by his dad from what we know," Tony pointed out.

"Didn't he say something about being a 'big kid?' They sounded like they were enemies of the Odinsons..." The shorter brunette remembered and almost leapt forward to help Loki when he pushed too hard on his wheels and almost made him go flying out of the chair.

"So they hurt him because they thought he was an Odinson, because they thought he had betrayed them for the Odinsons, or because they just didn't like him?" The darker eyed boy clarified. He paused for a moment to think. "He said something about some other kids, too."

"Yeah, he gave a whole spiel about being hurt when he was shouting at Thor in the park..." Bruce ran his fingers through the sides of his loose brown curls.

"No, dork, push left to go right, and push right to go left!" Tony called out before hunkering down with his best friend again. "I was worried about that... He was really nervous about using his magic until he knew we'd like it. And he seemed more frightened than angry. Can you imagine your brother abandoning you like that?"

"That's not fair, Tony. You know Thor thought his family had abandoned him first," the other nine year old sighed.

"I'm just trying to see things from Loki's perspective." The brunettes sighed together.

"Hey! I think I've got it!" Loki cried out happily. "Let's go show Thor!" He wheeled towards the door before grabbing the wheels tightly and forcing the chair to stop short. "Wait! Could one of you grab my marble and my books please?" Tony handed the seven year old the marble, and Bruce helped Loki arrange the books in the wheelchair. "Okay! Now we can go! THOR!" The brown eyes boys watched in satisfaction as Loki rolled down the hall and almost collided with the blonde ten year old.

"He's happy for now, though."

"Yeah, that's all that really matters."

**A/N: Wow... I feel like I made Tony and Bruce seem really ancient and wise in this chapter... Are they too protective of Loki? And don't even get me started on Natasha's abrupt exit. I literally could not stand writing another second of her and had to make her leave. She wasn't contributing to the scene, and she just kept butting into their conversation...**


	7. Breakfast

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait and for the shortness of this chapter! This one and the next couple will give you a quick glimpse into the lives of Loki and the Avengers! Also, I realized that I told you guys you'd eventually meet my muse, Kitty. So...**

**Kitty: Waz up. *clearly not amused***

**Me: Don't be like that...**

**Kitty: You're having a bad day. How do you think ****_my_**** day is, ****_huh_****?**

**Me: It's been a great day...**

**Kitty: I'll be grumpy if I want to! I do what I want! *stalks away***

**Me: o.O**

[Chapter 7- Breakfast]

-08:00-

Loki shrieked when Metallica music suddenly awakened him from his slumber. Somewhere down the hall, Tony's alarm had just gone off, and it was loud enough to be heard clearly anywhere in the building.

Momentarily terrified, the dark haired child covered his head with his arms and shrank into a mouse. Thor, who had been living with the Avengers long enough to be used to this unusual wake up call, noticed his brother's distress and sleepily crossed the room to explain.

"Loki," he yawned. "It's just Anthony's alarm clock. He cannot awaken unless it's this loud. Nothing is attacking; there is nothing to fear. Bruce even sleeps in the same room as him, and he is not bothered."

The green eyed mouse warily transformed back into a boy. "Why does it need to be so loud?"

"Anthony often prefers the land of dreams when he actually spends time there."

Loki sighed quietly and shifted to the side of the bed. "Could it be possible to move the dresser next to the bed? This is going to be difficult for me to change..." Thor laughed and easily shoved the dresser closer to his brother's sleeping area. "Thank you." The dark haired seven year old shifted to the end of the bed and carefully removed his clothing from one of the drawers.

Thor finally went back to his side of the room, and the brothers started to get ready for the day. The blonde dressed in his usual red sweatshirt and shiny gray shorts. His green eyed counterpart dressed in a green t-shirt and black pants. The blue eyed preteen pulled his hair back into a ponytail, and Loki followed his lead. Once the younger had moved to his wheelchair, they migrated to the dining room for breakfast.

Clint and Natasha were already situated at the far side of the table, their backs to the wall of windows. Loki pulled up to the empty space at the end of the table, and Thor sat at his right. A few minutes later, Tony stumbled in and plonked down at Loki's left, leaving Bruce to sit between him and Natasha. Steve walked in next and sat to Thor's right. The adults were last, with Fury sitting at the opposite end of Loki, Maria at his left, and Phil between her and Steve.

"Alright!" Fury barked to get everyone's attention. "I'm assuming you've all met Loki by now."

Steve nervously raised his hand. "I haven't, sir..."

"I-I'm right here," the green eyed boy called softly. The seventeen year old blushed.

"Ah, hello. I guess, we'll talk more later...?" He requested. The dark haired child nodded quickly.

"Now that that's settled! Coulson, are we having any changes in arrangements?" Fury asked. The light haired man grinned.

"Loki will be joining Tony and Bruce in the private lessons," he announced.

Clint groaned dramatically and Natasha whispered something that sounded similar to 'I told you so!'

"Not another one!" The gray eyed boy huffed and crossed his arms.

"Congratulations, brother! To join Stark and Banner in their studies is a great achievement!" Thor beamed and clapped his brother on the back. The tinier boy jerked forward and coughed roughly at having his ribs jostled.

"Alright. And how is everyone this morning?" The head of the Avengers asked. Natasha grinned and gave a thumbs up. Tony mumbled something under his breath sleepily and still didn't lift his head from the table.

Bruce replied with a soft, "I'm good." Clint smiled through a yawn and asked for food. Thor laughed loudly and nodded happily. Loki blushed softly but smiled anyway.

"I slept well," Steve chuckled. Coulson gave a soft grin to each of the kids, and Maria nodded to Fury.

"Okay! Then let's eat!"

Most of the children whooped and leapt up from their seats. Loki's eyes widened, and he happily followed the others to the kitchen. Breakfast was laid out on a series plates, with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs available. Two pitchers were filled with orange juice and water respectively, and there was a bowl filled with assorted berries and chunks of fruits.

Green eyes stayed wide in shock, and the smallest of the Avengers stopped in the doorway. Tony had brightened significantly with food in front of him, and Bruce was laughing next to him. Clint and Natasha nudged each other playfully as they filled their plates. Thor was grabbing as much food as he could manage. Steve let the others in front of him before even attempting to get food, even though he seemed to have forgotten Loki was there.

And Loki suddenly had the strangest notion that he was intruding.

"You gonna go in, or are you gonna sit there all day?" A deep voice asked. The seven year old jumped and twisted around. He looked up to see standing directly behind him, staring down with an almost gentle look.

"S-sorry." Loki moved forward and twisted his wheelchair to the side of the doorway so he could watch from there. The man stepped into the room to let Phil and Maria through, but he didn't go farther than that.

"You hungry?" Fury asked as he watched the children with Loki.

"I-I seem to have lost my appetite," the green eyed boy admitted. Steve teasingly scolded Thor for trying to hog all of the bacon. Clint flicked a grape at Natasha, and she caught it skillfully in her mouth, smirking all the while.

"You can join them. They all seem to like you, and I doubt anyone's going to stop you from getting food. Unless you count filling their plates so much you barely get any, but I'm sure they'd just share what they had with you. Sweet kids that way..." The dark eyed man finally looked down at the injured seven year old. Shyly, the boy averted his gaze.

"Loki, you numbnut!" Tony shouted and ran over. He grabbed the arms of the wheelchair and pulled it towards the buffet. "You're already a twig! Just freakin' eat something, alright?!" Bruce lightly smacked his best friend. The taller brunette rubbed his head and emitted a strangled whine, "Bruce~!"

The green eyed boy giggled softly and followed the nine year olds to the food line. Coulson and Maria stepped up beside their boss and smiled softly at the genius trio. Fury didn't spare them a glance, but he shared their smile. Well, more or less. It was more like a slight upturn of the very farthest part of the corner of his mouth- Anyway!

"Coulson, Hill. Thoughts?"

"He'll be fine, sir. He's making friends, and they'll definitely raise his self-esteem and take care of him."

"I agree. I think he's good for them, too. I've never seen Tony get up so easily, and Thor's never been so happy."

"Right. I'd like to keep it that way. So let's do our best everyone. Do it right or don't do it at all."

"Yes, sir!"

**A/N: I'm sorry, are Coulson and Maria secretly Finny and Meyrin?**

**Kitty: Yup. That's pretty much how you've written them for this story. They literally say "sir" every other sentence atleast.**

**Me: Well... That's not good... I should fix that. *cackles* Should doesn't mean will!**


	8. Lessons and The Lab

**A/N: Hallo! Here's the next chapter. *smile* I actually wrote this one my laptop instead of my iPod, so hopefully there'll be less grammar and spelling errors? I'd like some feedback so I can tell if it's worse, the same, or better.**

**Aaaaaand, I launched a poll on my profile. I'd really appreciate if ya'll could go there and vote. I want to know whether I should be starting any new stories or just stick with what I've got for now. The poll will be closing March 14th.**

**On a completely unrelated note... *sobs* My mom told me I can't watch Death Note anymore! But it's so goooooooooooood! *cries***

[Chapter 8- Lessons]

-09:30-

After breakfast, Coulson herded the children to the back of the building. Past the medical room, two identical doors guarded the rooms behind them. Natasha, Clint, Thor, and Steve immediately moved for the door on the right. Loki didn't really understand what was happening, but he decided to follow his brother anyway. Tony just laughed, with Bruce chuckling next to him quietly.

"Loki, didn't you here Agent?" Tony managed. He giggled slightly. The seven year old stared at him in confusion.

"Agent?" he questioned and rolled his wheelchair closer to his friends. Friends, truly wonderful things. He had no doubt this happy feeling was why Thor had always run off to play with Sif and the other three idiots.

"Tony calls him Agent because he's the field agent that helps bring in children. He brought most of us here, though Steve was the first," Bruce explained. The nine years olds shared a look and giggle together. "Coulson is especially... um, proud of being the one to find Steve."

"I swear, he has hundreds of pictures..." Tony lightly scoffed. Loki just smiled awkwardly. Even now that he was officially one of the Avengers, he still wasn't quite a part of their group.

"I'm right here you know," the light haired man peeked out of the room. "It's not as creepy as you make it sound."

"Agent, you're practically a _fanboy_."

The nine year old and the tutor had a long staring contest before Phil sighed and exited the room. "I started everyone else on their reading assignments for today. You three will be working on math for now."

"At this point, it's so far from just _math_," Tony rolled his eyes, and Bruce nodded. Coulson shrugged and led the genius trio into the door on the left. A white board hung between two windows on the far side of the room. A rolled up projector screen hung from the ceiling just above the white board, and the projector itself was fixated to the ceiling in the middle of the room. Three desks sat in the middle of the room, one facing the white board and the other two facing the center of the room. This made a three sided square of sorts. Only two of the desks had chairs. The walls of the room were a pale green and covered in highly detailed scientific posters or long pages with complicated equations. A bookshelf near the door was filled with advanced textbooks in sets of three and high school level novels, also in sets of three. The blinds on the windows were closed, so the room was surprisingly dark.

As Coulson moved to open the blinds, Loki pulled his wheelchair up to the desk without a chair, the one in the middle that faced the front. He was still surprised by the neatness of the room, and he carefully opened his desk to see if anything had been placed inside. Four notebooks, labeled with the four core subject of education, sat in a neat stack on the left. On the right was a green pencil box, filled with math supplies, pencils, pens, erasers, markers, and highlighters. In between the notebooks and pencil box, there was a stack of blank lined paper and a stack of neon colored 3x5 index cards.

"Alright, go grab your math books, and we can get started," Coulson's voice pulled him from his thoughtful observation of the room. Loki started to move away from his desk to do as he was told, but Bruce grabbed his book and set it on his desk for him.

"Why don't you just keep your textbooks in you desk?" he suggested, and the green eyed boy quietly nodded. Coulson started the projector and went through the math lesson, sometimes going through problems with them and sometimes letting them work on their own. Eventually, there was nothing left for him to teach on the current lesson, so he assigned them fifty problems to work on. Once he left, Tony, who sat in the desk to Loki's left, groaned overdramatically.

"He's _such_ a slave driver! _Fifty_ problems? We already learned how to solve them!" he moaned. Bruce laughed.

"It's practice, Tony. You'll live," he assured. The smaller nine year old was already working on the work. Loki laughed at Tony's antics and got to work. Said brunette moaned for a few more minutes but began the problems. The trio worked in silence before Tony sighed.

"I can't work like this. Jarv, put something on, something... _classy_. I'm apparently in a mood," he called into the silence. Music from the Nutcracker ballet softly filled the room. Bruce laughed. Tony just shook his head and continued working. The green eyed seven year old eyed his friends, wondering if this sort of thing was common place or just amusing in general.

Another couple minutes passed before Bruce put his pencil down with a frown. He glanced up at the other young geniuses in the room then stared down at his paper in frustration. The nine year old looked across the room to his 'twin.' "Tony, what's number 27?"

His counterpart glanced at the problem. Loki looked back and forth between the two nine year olds; Bruce was smart enough to do the problem on his own. Why did he need to ask Tony for the answer? Tony himself didn't look at all disturbed.

Instead, he calmly responded, "x2 - 3|x - 2| - 4x." Dainty black eyebrows pinched together in confusion. That wasn't even the answer. That was the problem itself.

"Thanks, Tony," Bruce sighed heavily and once again set to work on the problems. The taller brunette gave his best smirk and nodded. Loki was stopped from asking what was going on by Coulson when he walked in.

"Only half way through?" he questioned with a silly look on his face. "Psh, you guys should be done by now.'

"You gave us _fifty_!"

-{[(-)]}-

As the trio exited the room, Tony stretched his arms above his head and rolled his shoulders. Bruce rolled his eyes and smacked his friend upside the head. "You act we spent all day in there, dork. We were in there for three hours!"

"Three hours?! That long?! That's an eternity!" Tony wailed. Loki hid his giggles behind his hand. "There is only one way to remedy this lost time! TO THE LAB!" The brown eyed boy grabbed Bruce by the waist and threw him between the handles of Loki's wheelchair.

"_Tony_!" Bruce shrieked when the nine year old grabbed said handles and started running. Loki laughed maniacally, feeling empowered in a way as the trio sped through the building to the nine year olds' lab. Tony cackled, and even Bruce had to laugh when he saw the look on Maria's face.

"It's time for lunch!" She could be heard calling behind them.

"We have Goldfish!" Tony assured. Loki laughed harder.

The boys screeched to a stop in front of the metal-glass door that led to a lab. "Tony, never do that again," Bruce scolded without really sounding angry.

"We're alive right? Let's go!" The other brunette darted towards the lab and stood on the tips of his toes to reach the keypad. Seems shortness was a common trait among geniuses...

The shorter brunette shook his head but followed his friend in anyway, gesturing for Loki to follow. "What about lunch?" he questioned to the darkened lab.

"I said we have goldfish, didn't I?" was the muffled reply. Tony could be heard rummaging through a toolbox in the back of the room. "Besides, Steve will eventually bring some to us anyway."

"You really shouldn't take advantage of his kindness," Bruce admonished. "Jarvis, for Pete's sake, could you turn the lights up? Tony's going to grab a blow torch and burn his hand off." The AI complied, and the lights gradually brightened. "Like I was saying, one day he's going to realize that you're taking advantage of him, and he's going to stop being so nice." The brunette's foot bounced impatiently. "What are you even doing? All of our current projects are by the door. I know for a fact because you always whine about having to walking across the room." Tony waved his hand dismissively.

"We're not doing any of those today. Since Loki's finally free from the med room, we can work on converting magic into science!" He cried, obviously very excited. His green eyed friend was less so.

"Magic _is_ science. It's just more advanced. I'm sure you could replicate the properties of magic very easily," Loki assured. The nine year old shook his head.

"Not good enough. Don't worry, we'll get it!"

Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. He politely informed them, "I have projects that need to be worked on every day. Tony, you know I can't just drop those."

"What if we help you? Then everything would go three times as fast! As science bros, I can't just let you go off and work on something all alone! Besides, if magic is science, then Loki will probably know what he's doing," the brunette beamed. Loki nodded, glad that he was to be included. The shorter brown eyed boy thought over it for a moment before nodding slowly.

"But don't touch anything if I tell you not to! And don't do anything I tell you not to, or do something without asking me!" he insisted as they walked back across the room towards the tables near the front. The trio pulled up chairs (or just pulled up, in Loki's case) around a table that was covered in neatly arranged beakers and test tubes. Bruce gave out instructions, and the boys began their first work together in the lab.

**A/N: I think it's cute. Cute, or no?**

**Also, question of the update! What is your favorite book?**

**Don't forget to visit my profile and vote!**


	9. Dinner and Bedtime

**A/N: T^T I suck. I tried making this a longer chapter with a lot more dialogue, but I hate myself and went on a completely different path instead. The ending was the same either way though, so I'm glad for that.**

[Chapter 9- Dinner]

-17:50-

"Guys, it's almost time for dinner," Steve poked his head into the lab. Loki gave a shy smile and hesitantly waved. The blonde waved back, looking just as cautious. "You guys should stop whatever you're doing and get cleaned up."

"But, _Steve_!" Tony whined. "What if when we stop, everything blows up?"

"I know doesn't let you do anything dangerous like that," the blue eyed teen frowned.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," the nine year old smirked. Bruce lightly smacked him upside the head. "_Brucie_!" Loki giggled quietly into his hands.

"Nothing will happen if we leave for an hour or so," Bruce snapped. He sighed and shook his head. "Jarvis will warn us if anything happens."

"Wait, something could actually blow up?" The seventeen year old gasped. He stepped fully into the room, prepared to pull the genius trio away from anything dangerous.

"No, of course not," The only green eyed boy in the room assured. "Anthony is being silly."

"_Tony_," the brunette demanded. "Why did you suddenly call me by my full name?"

"It makes me sound more mature than you and emphasizes the childishness of your actions." As if to counter his point, Loki stuck his tongue out.

"Stick your tongue out at me and I'll cut it off!" Tony warned. Loki stiffened and quickly retracted the fleshy muscle.

"Y-you would do that?" The seven year old whispered anxiously, shifting away from his friend.

"What? No... No I wouldn't actually- Has someone tried to do that before? Loki? Hey, I'm sorry. Don't cry, okay?" Tony rambled and reached slowly for the smaller boy.

Loki furiously wiped his eyes. "I'm not crying!" He hissed. "I-I'm fine. I just... I don't like being unable to speak..."

"Tony," Steve scowled. "You three need food. I know you had lunch, but you're growing boys and you need nutr-"

"Oh my goodness, for the love of Goldfish! Will you quit being such a mother hen? You can be worse than Maria sometimes! We're coming alright? And I promise not to make Loki cry or blow anything up before we get there! Out! Out! Shoo!" Tony burst and weakly attempted to push the older teen through the doorway. Steve sighed and reluctantly complied.

"Clean and at the table in five minutes," he warned as he exited.

"Tony," Bruce sighed, sounding tired. "Loki, are you really okay? I'm sure Tony didn't mean to scare you."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry," the taller brunette mumbled and comfortingly placed a hand on Loki's head.

"I... When I was younger, my not-father knew this family of dwarves-" Loki started, but Bruce cut him off.

"_Dwarves_?"

"Jolly green, don't even," Tony chuckled and clapped his friend on the back. "You turn into a neon green rage giant _thing_. Anyway, your dad knew some... dwarves?"

"Yes. And Thor had a group of friends, Sif and the Idiots Three," Loki stated, slightly more angry than before.

"Thor's told us about Sif and his three friends, but didn't they call themselves the Warriors Three?" Bruce wondered.

"What did they ever have to fight?" Loki countered. "And they were fools. Well, I've always enjoyed playing pranks, but I... I took one too far..."

"Did someone get hurt?" Tony questioned. The seven year old shook his head.

"No. I... I cut off Sif's hair."

The brunettes inhaled sharply.

"Oooooh, bet you were in the dog house for that one," Tony winced.

"Yeah, that's really mean, Loki," Bruce frowned softly. The green eyed boy looked away.

"She burned my books, first." The brown eyed boys shared sympathetic looks.

"Go on," Tony encouraged and lightly ruffled the smaller boy's dark hair. Bruce nodded and rubbed their friend's arm gently. Loki took a deep breath and gave a sharp nod.

"The dwarves were- are talented craftsmen, and I was vey sorry after I realized how much I had hurt her feelings. So I went to the dwarves and tried to make a deal with them. But some of the other dwarves were jealous and wanted to have a contest to see who could make the best work. The first pair of brothers made a golden wig of hair for Sif, and the other pair of brothers made Thor's hammer. You can probably guess who made the better work..."

"So, what happened?"

"The prize for winning the contest was my head."

Instantly, Bruce's eyes glared neon green and the edges of his ears rapidly changed colors. Loki stared at the color change in awe, but Tony quickly tried to calm the other nine year old down.

"It's fine, it's all in the past. No one's going to hurt Loki, Loki's fine, see? They obviously don't have his head. Why don't we hear how it ends? He wins, okay? He's okay," the taller brunette suddenly seemed much shorter in comparison to his friend. "Bruce, please buddy, you gotta calm down! Everyone's fine! No one's hurt! Do you want to go to the smashing room? You can let him out in there for a bit if you need to let out some steam- Dang it, Loki, finish the dad gum story already! Bruce, focus on me! That's it, buddy. Just listen to the sound of my voice."

Confused, Loki continued his tale. "The winners came to retrieve their prize and I quickly told them that my head was theirs but my neck did not belong to them-"

"Oh you clever boy!" Tony cheered without looking away from Bruce. He slowly rubbed the other boy's arms and continue to soothingly whisper in his green ear.

"The dwarves were outraged, feeling they had been tricked even though I never agreed to the contest. So... They... T-they sewed my mouth s-shut." The green eyed boy gulped and quickly cleared his eyes of any liquid memories. "F-Father didn't come for me for a few days, b-but mother cut the leather as s-soon as I was home."

"_Leather_?!" Bruce growled.

"Please, we don't need you now, big guy," Tony pleaded, seeing more of Bruce's skin was green than white. "If anyone can comfort Loki, it's Bruce. I'm so bad at this and you know that. Please don't leave me here to take care of this myself, Bruce. I need you, Loki needs you. He's not hurting now. There aren't even any scars! Big guy, please, you know how much you'll hurt Bruce if you scare Loki!"

The last statement made the struggling brunette pause. Agonizingly slowly, the boy shrunk back to his normal size and usual coloring. His eyes remained a toxic green, but he was normal otherwise. Bruce took deep breaths and grabbed Tony's hand. On a secondary thought, he also grabbed one of Loki's hands, with Tony taking the other one. Now forming a tight circle, the genius trio stared at each other.

"We're okay," Bruce whispered.

"Of course we are," Tony smiled with warm affection.

"We'll always be okay," Loki nodded, feeling that it was true for once in his life. He had friends now, and people that seemed to care for him. He had his brother back and food to eat and lessons to learn and a lab to play in. He was happy, and as long as he could have these people beside him, he would always come out alright.

"We're going to be so late to dinner," Bruce groaned and hung his head.

"Meh, I was planning on making us late anyway, just to tick Steve off," the other brunette grinned. Bruce smacked him but laughed anyway.

"Shall we go clean up, then?" Loki gestured to the doorway with one of his clasped hands.

"Certainly, my lord," Tony bowed without releasing their hands.

"To the washrooms!" Bruce cried. The boys happily escaped the lab and chased each other down the hallways to the nearest bathroom. The brunettes let Loki wheel up to the sink and wash his hands first before they followed suit. Tony flicked some soap at Bruce and started a brief bubble war, but it ended almost as soon as it started.

The genius trio leisurely made their way to the dining room, where Fury snapped at them about being on time before letting them sit. Everyone was in the same places from that morning. Spread across the tables were bowls and platters of chicken, bread, green beans with pecans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. There was a pitcher of water and another of apple juice.

Loki started to reach for the food, but Tony lightly smacked his hand. Steve glanced around the room and asked, "Who wants to say grace?"

"I'll do it," Fury sighed. He held out his hands, and soon everyone around the table held hands with the people next to them. "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for the food you have given us. Please bless it to our bodies, Amen." There was a brief pause. "Well? Dig in!"

It was as though someone had shot a gun. Everyone burst to life, passing plates and chattering about what they had been doing since they got out of lessons. People's plates filled quickly, and the air was light with chatter and laughter. Coulson talked quietly with Steve and Maria, chuckling about one thing to another. Loki grinned quietly as he spoke to Thor of his adventures in the lab. Tony teased Clint relentlessly until Natasha intervened and Bruce was eventually dragged in. The only person not talking was Fury, who sat quietly at the head of the table, eating and watching the children with an almost warm look on his face. He was broken from his silence when Steve turned from Coulson and asked him a question. The dark eyes man answered with an amused tone and let himself be pulled into the conversation. Thor was next to enter their talk, with Loki following closely behind. After that, everyone had joined the conversation. Light-hearted taunts sailed through the air, and everyone shared their thoughts with equal enthusiasm.

An hour later found Loki in Tony and Bruce's room, playing Legos with them as they waited for their turns in the shower. Bruce was building and anatomically correct bird, Tony made a working action figure, and Loki focused on constructing a stable tower as tall as he could make it. The boys chatted and giggled amicably as they worked, none of them noticing Fury leaning against the doorframe.

The man left with a ghost of a smile on his lips and went to check on Thor and Steve. The blonde duo say in the seventeen year old's room, sharing ideas about technology and how it was supposed to work. Thor cleaned his hammer and Steve wiped down his shield as they compared notes. Fury stifled a snigger when Thor explained how he thought the television worked, but the older blonde was quick to correct him.

Satisfied, Fury turned to the bathroom, where Clint waited patiently outside until Natasha exited. She was dressed in her black pajamas, and a towel was draped over her head. With an exasperated sigh, Clint made her sit in front of him and began to dry her hair for her. She hid a pleased smile as he stood behind her, talking in a bored tone and gently massaging her scalp with the towel. The boy didn't look too unhappy himself, and he did his best to sound unimpressed. Fury was no fool and he clearly saw how Natasha had purposefully left her hair wet for Clint to dry.

The man walked quietly to the medic bay. Coulson sat on an examination as Maria went about cleaning the room. The light haired man conversed quietly with the woman as she stacked jars in a cupboard. She replied in a similar tone, and the two continued with pleasant chatter about the kids and somewhere they could be taken that Saturday or maybe what movie they could watch next Friday. Maria laughed at one of Phil's comments, and Fury felt a calm smile threatening to take over his face.

The dark skinned man finally retreated to his own room and began to make preparations for the next day. The shower started up again, and he knew it was Clint's turn. It had been a long, wonderful day, and thankfully nothing had gone terribly wrong. Loki was adjusting well, and no one was fighting. It was a good day.

-{[(•)]}-

-23:33-

When Fury's door creaked open, his hand instantly slipped under his pillow for his handgun, ready to defend his charges with his very life. He cracked open one eye and was surprised to see no one in the doorway. Alarmed, the man sat upright. He noticed something shifting by the doorway, and he picked out a short, black blob. The door opened some more, and a small black kitten limped into the room.

"Loki?" Nick whispered. He noticed bandages around one of the kitten's front paws and how it tried to stay off one of its back legs. It struggled to even take a step, so the man quickly bent down and picked it up. The kitten whimpered in protest. The dark eyed man felt the poor thing trembling in his hands, and his gaze softened sympathetically. "Are you alright?"

Loki mewed weakly.

"Are you hurt?"

The kitten shook its head and mimed sleeping. He shook himself awake and looked around in fear before returning his gaze to Fury.

"A nightmare then? Did you want to sleep in here?" Fury no longer felt awkward about having any of his charges sleep in his bed. He only had fatherly intentions for any of them, and several of them suffered from intense nightmares. That was part of the reason for the buddy system with the bedrooms, but the man was perfectly alright letting the children in the bed with him. He'd had this job for years. If he couldn't even soothe nightmares, he shouldn't do this at all.

Loki nodded, and Fury just laid back down. The kitten curled up on his stomach. It quivered for a few more minutes before settling down and sleeping. Loki let out soft puffs of air, and his tail flickered softly against Nick's abdomen. Silently, the man wondered why he had taken this job because little cat children and green monsters were probably more than he could chew, but he knew deep down that this position was made for him and he could never forgive himself if he left the Avengers division.

The man laid his head against the pillow and let himself drift to sleep.

-{[(•)]}-

-08:00-

Fury was only mildly surprised to wake up to Tony's alarm with a small black haired boy curled up against his side. The boy jolted away with a small whine of distress before he once again recognized his surroundings.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Ready for the new day?" Nick questioned. Loki looked up in shock, remembering the events of the previous nights. His face instantly flushed and he fiddled with the hem of his pajama top. The boy gave a quick nod, and Fury repeated the action with an upturned corner to his lips. "Can you get back to you room?"

"N-no," Loki stuttered and flinched. Still afraid of abuse then. Fury nodded and gently lifted him by his underarms. The dark haired boy squeaked but made no real protests. The brown eyed man settled the seven year old against his hip and carried him to the room he shared with Thor. They entered to find the ten year old blonde in a state of great distress, obviously anxious about his seemingly missing brother.

"It's alright, Thor. I've got him," Fury assured and set Loki on the edge of his bed.

"T-thank you," the green eyed boy smiled nervously and ducked his head. The man nodded and left.

The Avengers were already pretty complicated, but now it seemed that Loki could add a whole new flavor to the recipe. Steve was the sweetness to their mix, Tony was the spice, Bruce was the soothing flavor with an aftertaste, Natasha was the sharp and tangy juice, Clint was the salty flavor, Coulson was something fruity, Maria was the more bitter aspect like dark chocolate, and Fury was the flavorless flour that held the odd concoction together. Was Loki sweet or salty, soft or sharp? How would he fit into this mix? Fury could only wait and find out.

**A/N: I like this chapter but I don't at the same time... I'm not sure what to think.**

**Anyway, QUESTION OF THE UPDATE! As I am currently eating a bag of popcorn, what is your favorite snacky snack?**

**Does anyone hate that last paragraph as much as I do? I want to delete it but I don't either... Ugh, #FanfictionWriterProblems What kind of flavor do you think Loki is? I know, but I won't tell you just yet. And we've almost reached ten chapters! WHOOOOOO! \(^0^)/**


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